The notice follows an HSE investigation into a gas leak on board their Thistle Platform in April of this year. The HSE concluded that EnQuest had “not taken appropriate measures with a view to protecting persons on the installation”.

The notice went on to state that EnQuest had not appropriately assessed the hazards before applying multiple inhibits to safety critical equipment, that offshore personnel did not consult onshore Technical Authorities in line with EnQuest procedures and furthermore that persons carrying out the operation did not have appropriate instructions or contingency plans in the event of an emergency.

The notice concludes that EnQuest have frequently carried out such operations over a period of two years and identifies that EnQuest were continuing their unsafe practices three days after the original gas leak.

A spokesperson for EnQuest gave the following statement: “EnQuest can confirm there was a gas release on its Thistle installation on 10 April during routine operations. The platform’s safety systems were initiated; no-one was injured and no harm caused to the environment or property damaged. We take the safety of our installations and the people on board very seriously and are working closely with the HSE to learn from the incident and to implement the changes required to prevent recurrence. We have corrected the immediate causes, we have complied with the requirements of one notice and are on target to comply with the terms of the second Notice by the required deadline.”

EnQuest previously received an industry award for extending the life of the Thistle Platform, one of the North Seas oldest assets. The company won the Business Innovation title in the Large Enterprise Category at the Oil and Gas UK Awards Ceremony held in November 2014.